This is the first of what I hope to turn into a series of paintings based on energy sources. I hope this piece contributes, in some small way, to enthusiasm for clean energy and other dialogue about solutions to big problems. If you like this image and would like to help spread enthusiasm for clean energy, prints are available in two sizes at my Etsy Shop. [link]

I also encourage anyone supportive of clean energy to visit the Department of Energy's Green Power Network [link] to find out if there is a supplier of clean energy in your area. Many people don't even realize that they can easily sign up to purchase their electricity from clean sources for a near negligible increase in price.

those clouds are so passionate! i love the vibrant changes of texture and colour, the way the whole image almost seems cut straight from a movie. and of course the subject matter scarcely needs mentioning by mke, its very important people start taking renewable energy more seriously.

very nice! it´s so good to see something other than just a naked "pinup" in the painted ladies group for a change...

it´s a lovely portrait - her seeming a bit stout (tho this might pe the perspective, making her face really round) and with that alternative-people clothing gives her the cliché look of a slightly introverted, caring person, one of the people who worry about what will become of the world each evening while drinking a cup of fair trade tea.and now she´s gone and done something other than worry - bravo

When you say "clean energy" you forget to mention that there is really no such thing. Every technology for obtaining electricity which mankind has developed so far has an impact on the environment, including "green" sources. In many cases their impact is much higher than their supporters imagine or like to admit, in fact in some cases they are much higher than some of the more "conventional" technologies (although we'd all agree nothing is dirtier than thermo-electric powerplants). I don't know how things are in the U.S. (I sincerely hope they're better than here) but in my country wind-powered electricity is a serious environmental problem, it's an ecologically dirty industry turned into a very dirty business and I can assure you its introduction has caused an increase in price which is very far from "negligible".Don't get me wrong, when I say all that I don't mean that I'm violently standing against the introduction of all those "clean" energy sources. But those who popularize them must do it realistically. People have to know that they are far from perfectly clean, they have to know there is an impact and that it can be very serious if those technologies are not applied cleverly. And they have to know they will pay more expensive electricity, which in some regions of the world is not a minor problem either. They also have to know why it is worth paying this price to save this planet at least some of the greenhouse and toxic gases we release in the atmosphere.

I carried away a bit. Last, but not least. The "green" technologies we've developed so far cannot be our primary energy source, unless we cover half the planet in "windmills" and solar panels. I bet you don't want this happen. The alternative and only possible future IMHO, for now, is thermonuclear power. Besides, it is the very cleanest technology we've ever come up with. Consider this when painting your next masterpiece.

I don't think there's enough studies on that matter, at least not in my country. There are some facts, however, like we tend to place those things on sites which are more windy for obvious economical reasons, but birds - especially large, therefore heavier, birds of which the populations are usually already the most vulnerable ones - tend to use the same winds we try to exploit to soar so that they can search for food or migrate. Another fact is that when a large bird crosses a field of wind turbines it can easily get hit by the blades. The situation with bats is even worse, I have an acquaintance who works on that subject right now, regrettably I'm not familiar with the details since it's quite off my specialty. You could read this for example, if you wish, it's what I found in a quick 5-minutes search, but I'm sure there is more. Or you can see this, which is by the way not an occasional accident. People might find it funny (according to some comments below), but I don't believe any of them wants to be in the "silly" bird's place in this moment. I mean, yeah, it does have a choice - it can simply starve to death instead. By the way, it was a griffon vulture.

As for my country, I guess it's man's fault. We always do things in the wrong way when it comes to profit. Here, in the last years, they built HUUUUUUUUGE wind parks in the areas around our northern coastline. It's fine, only it gets on the way of Via Pontica - a major migratory route for large birds. A minor fact for some persons though. Not to mention how they break the ground while building, devastating valuable populations of rare and unique endemic plant species - again because they never care what they are building on, it's just a deserted field for them.

*cough* My point is, things have to be THOUGHT THROUGH before being done and all aspects and possible issues have to be considered. Because no matter how beautiful and brilliant an idea looks at first sight it can lead to a devastating outcome.

You point to some interesting problems - I read about the implosion of bats' lungs, and problems birds have with the turbines, after a couple of Google searches (though I can't access youtube for that video as I'm in China).

I agree that wind power isn't perfect, and there are some issues affecting both people and animals, as well as plantlife, but I wouldn't necessarily categorise the current problems as wildly dirty or disastrous - if we can learn how to build wind farms where they will not cause these problems as much (e.g. offshore wind farms?) it seems like a decent source of fairly clean energy.

If we compare the (to this point, minor) deaths of bats and certain birds to the affects upon the living populations of entire countries from coal power, for example, it seems like wind power is the lesser of 2 evils. Not that we should be choosing energy forms based on how little they adversely affect us - ideally, we should be trying to find energy that has no adverse affects. This doesn't seem very likely, though...

Sure, I never said we should completely surrender the usage of wind power, only do it carefully. It is indeed a much cleaner source, compared to most of the others (like I said, nothing is more dirty than coal and gas powerplants); and it is the way we use it in my country which is dirty and disastrous because the people who build the parks are driven by greed, not by care for the planet. You see, they just use clichés like "green energy" and "eco"-whatever to sell their product and ensure profit. I guess that's why I hate those terms.I'm not sure about offshore farms, perhaps they really are a reasonable alternative. If not else, there is plenty of free space in the ocean so probably wind farms and wildlife can safely coexist there.

Still, whatever we come up with to make these technologies safer and cleaner, I believe wind and solar (and ideally water) power should only be an additional source. Like, I strongly support their use in urbanized and industrial areas, where there is no wildlife anyways. But they are simply not effective enough to provide enough electricity for the ENORMOUS and increasing demands of our civilization, worldwide. The answer is, like I stated, thermonuclear power. And since you mentioned it, it is virtually lacking adverse effects, as far as I know. The only problem is that at the moment we haven't yet developed the technology enough to can use it safely, but I think we are close to that point.

You're welcome, and thanks for taking the time to read. I realize I can be gruesomely loquacious when it comes to environmental matters. I'm an ecologist after all

The breeze is so evident, wind is clearly a part of this image. Nice composition and flow, keep it up! By the way, what do you prefer to paint on? I almost mistook your work as digital, how do you make the colors look so clear and clean?